1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to an air-powered vacuum cleaner floor tool and an air-powered turbine motor therefor and, more particularly, to an air-powered vacuum cleaner floor tool and air-powered turbine motor therefor wherein the air inlet and air outlet of the floor tool are positioned with respect to other parts of the floor tool and with respect to each other so as to optimize the operation of the floor tool. Furthermore, the turbine chamber of the air-powered motor is formed with respect to the turbine rotor in order to minimize the size of the motor without reducing the efficiency of operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magarian, U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,748; Magarian, U.S. Pat. No. 2,963,270 and Magarian, U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,224 are all directed to vacuum cleaner floor tools which have air-powered motors incorporated into the floor tool. Although these floor tools are of the same general type as the present invention, they do not include the features of the present invention which increase the efficiency of operation, reduce the size and enhance the ease of operation of the floor tool. In these prior art floor tools, the axis of the air inlet is not aligned with the longitudinal center of the rotary agitator in the floor tool and, therefore, the air flow through the opening in the floor tool around the agitator is not symmetrical. The lack of symmetrical air flow results in uneven cleaning.
These prior art floor tools also do not optimize the angle between the air inlet and the air outlet in order to facilitate operation of the floor tool without substantially decreasing the efficiency of the floor tool. Still further, these prior art floor tools do not minimize the size of the housing by maintaining the smallest area defined by the periphery of the turbine rotor and the walls of the turbine chamber equal to substantially one-half of the smallest area of the outlet opening of the turbine chamber.
Tschudy, U.S. Pat. No. 2,734,220, is directed to a vacuum cleaner in which the wand connector is offset with respect to the mouth of the exhaust duct of the floor tool. This patent does not, however, disclose or suggest an air-powered motor in combination with the floor tool, and thus suffers from the disadvantage that its cleaning efficiency is substantially less than that of a vacuum cleaner having an air-powered floor tool.